TWO campaigning teenagers from Ringwood School are reflecting on an amazing year in which they flew all over the world to make a difference to education worldwide.

Millie Wells and Sam Whittingham were chosen to be global ambassadors for Oxfam after winning a national competition last year.

They have since represented 5,000 schools - schools that they have persuaded to take part - at the UN, travelled to India with Oxfam to investigate the barriers to education there and spoken in the Houses of Parliament, as well as boosting the Send My Friend to School campaign, on behalf of 57 million children who are lacking a formal education.

Gill Hickman, sustainability coordinator at Ringwood School, said: “It’s acknowledged by everyone that Millie and Sam have been truly outstanding ambassadors and it’s been a genuine privilege to work with them.”

Millie said: “This has been the best year of my life, where I have learned a great deal about people, poverty and advocacy.

“Although our year has ended, I will continue to campaign for education for all, as it is such a vital campaign and what I learned will never leave me.”

Sam said: “During the last year I feel as if I have been able to realise that I am truly privileged to have this wonderful and free start in life that everyone, in the developed countries of the world, has.

“When we visited India we saw children in the street spending all day making rugs for a mere rupee - around 20p. This past year has been a real eye-opener to the injustices that so many children face across the world.

“I would like to use the past year to spur myself on to try to make a further difference by becoming a teacher myself in order to make the tiniest indent into the 1.7 million more teachers who are needed to get everyone into school.”